Be Consistent
This weekend we were on a long road trip up to New Hampshire, while listening to ESPN radio, I came across the very uneven coverage on Rick Ankiel. Here's a little history on Ankiel...
Ankiel was a pitchin gphenom for the St. Louis Cardinals in the late 90's. He burst onto the scene in 1999 at the age of 20. In his first full season (2000) he was 11-7 with nearly 200 strikeouts for a St. Louis team that made the playoffs. He was sure to be a cornerstone in the rotation for years. Then came the playoffs, where the Cardinals faced the Atlanta Braves. Tony LaRussa foolishly pitched Ankiel in game one of the playoffs... way too much pressure for a 21 year old kid. Needless to say the pressure was too much and the kid broke down on the mound. He walked 4 and threw 5 wild pitches in the third inning. He was never the same pitcher again. He had problems with his control for the rest of his pitching career. Over the next 4 seasons Ankiel shuttled back up and down from the minors, but never could recapture what he once had.
During the winter of 05 after playing in the Puerto Rico Winter League Ankiel decided he was giving up pitching and making a switch to the outfield. Ankiel always was a very good hitter for a pitcher. With nothing to lose the Cardinals (which still held onto his rights) gave him a shot in spring training. By showing some power and very nice fielding skills in the outfield, the Cardinals held onto him and gave him a shot. Unfortunately before the season even started he injured his knee and was out for the season. I'm sure it seemed like to most that his career might have been over.
Spring training 07 saw Ankiel return from knee surgery to again impress with is power and fielding. Without a spot in the regulr outfield rotation LaRussa sent him down to Triple A, where he could play regularly. Facing a higher level of pitching Ankiel really flourished. Through early August Ankiel had 32 homers and 90 RBI's. With injuries and drug problems freeing up roster spots the struggling Cardinals needed a shot in the arm and turned to Ankiel. Since his return the Cardinals have run back into the thick of the playoff mix and he has completely flourised. Through a little more than 150 at bats Ankiel had shown great power by hitting 11 homerunns with 38 RBI's.
It seemed like it was a great storybook ending (or beginning seeing how he's still only 28) for a player who flamed out on a national stage and worked his ass off to get back to the show. I'm sure Disney was writing the script and contacting Mark Wahlberg to play Ankiel already. Then last week, it was revealed that Rick received HGH over the course of 15 months from the Florida doctor who was illegally supplying banned substances to pro athletes and wrestlers.
HGH is banned in the major leagues, but its not tested for. Apparently, there is no test for HGH. The thing I was most upset about over the coverage about this was the free-pass most sportcasters and columnists were giving Ankiel. In my eyes this is just like what Barry Bonds did. If what Barry did was wrong why should Ankiel not be held to the same standard. If its wrong for one person to used banned substances it should be wrong for all. Is part of the problem that Bonds is a surly african-american while Ankiel is a happy-go-lucky white underdog. Almost like we were supposed to forgive Ankiel because he was a pitcher who had flamed out and fought his way back to the majors. I'm sorry, that doesn't sit well with me. If it was wrong for Bonds or Canseco or Palmiero, it was wrong for Ankiel. C'mon, lets be consistent in our opinions
I dont think we should look at race or status within the game when passing judgement over players who have used banned or illegal substances. They should all be looked at the same way... either it's always wrong or you're willing to shrug your shoulders and think like I do, that we are in the Steroid Era, its a sad way to look at this game I love, but there is no way to know who was on or not. That's the simple reality.
Ankiel was a pitchin gphenom for the St. Louis Cardinals in the late 90's. He burst onto the scene in 1999 at the age of 20. In his first full season (2000) he was 11-7 with nearly 200 strikeouts for a St. Louis team that made the playoffs. He was sure to be a cornerstone in the rotation for years. Then came the playoffs, where the Cardinals faced the Atlanta Braves. Tony LaRussa foolishly pitched Ankiel in game one of the playoffs... way too much pressure for a 21 year old kid. Needless to say the pressure was too much and the kid broke down on the mound. He walked 4 and threw 5 wild pitches in the third inning. He was never the same pitcher again. He had problems with his control for the rest of his pitching career. Over the next 4 seasons Ankiel shuttled back up and down from the minors, but never could recapture what he once had.
During the winter of 05 after playing in the Puerto Rico Winter League Ankiel decided he was giving up pitching and making a switch to the outfield. Ankiel always was a very good hitter for a pitcher. With nothing to lose the Cardinals (which still held onto his rights) gave him a shot in spring training. By showing some power and very nice fielding skills in the outfield, the Cardinals held onto him and gave him a shot. Unfortunately before the season even started he injured his knee and was out for the season. I'm sure it seemed like to most that his career might have been over.
Spring training 07 saw Ankiel return from knee surgery to again impress with is power and fielding. Without a spot in the regulr outfield rotation LaRussa sent him down to Triple A, where he could play regularly. Facing a higher level of pitching Ankiel really flourished. Through early August Ankiel had 32 homers and 90 RBI's. With injuries and drug problems freeing up roster spots the struggling Cardinals needed a shot in the arm and turned to Ankiel. Since his return the Cardinals have run back into the thick of the playoff mix and he has completely flourised. Through a little more than 150 at bats Ankiel had shown great power by hitting 11 homerunns with 38 RBI's.
It seemed like it was a great storybook ending (or beginning seeing how he's still only 28) for a player who flamed out on a national stage and worked his ass off to get back to the show. I'm sure Disney was writing the script and contacting Mark Wahlberg to play Ankiel already. Then last week, it was revealed that Rick received HGH over the course of 15 months from the Florida doctor who was illegally supplying banned substances to pro athletes and wrestlers.
HGH is banned in the major leagues, but its not tested for. Apparently, there is no test for HGH. The thing I was most upset about over the coverage about this was the free-pass most sportcasters and columnists were giving Ankiel. In my eyes this is just like what Barry Bonds did. If what Barry did was wrong why should Ankiel not be held to the same standard. If its wrong for one person to used banned substances it should be wrong for all. Is part of the problem that Bonds is a surly african-american while Ankiel is a happy-go-lucky white underdog. Almost like we were supposed to forgive Ankiel because he was a pitcher who had flamed out and fought his way back to the majors. I'm sorry, that doesn't sit well with me. If it was wrong for Bonds or Canseco or Palmiero, it was wrong for Ankiel. C'mon, lets be consistent in our opinions
I dont think we should look at race or status within the game when passing judgement over players who have used banned or illegal substances. They should all be looked at the same way... either it's always wrong or you're willing to shrug your shoulders and think like I do, that we are in the Steroid Era, its a sad way to look at this game I love, but there is no way to know who was on or not. That's the simple reality.
Labels: Sports
posted by LEV at
11:47 AM
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